Active Countries Angola Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belgium Belize Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Faroe Islands Finland France French-Guyana Georgia Germany Greece Greenland Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mexico Moldova Montenegro Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Sweden Switzerland Trinidad & Tobago Türkiye UAE Ukraine United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Active Countries Angola Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belgium Belize Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Faroe Islands Finland France French-Guyana Georgia Germany Greece Greenland Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mexico Moldova Montenegro Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria North Macedonia Norway Oman Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Suriname Sweden Switzerland Trinidad & Tobago Türkiye UAE Ukraine United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela
09 — The Rules
The rules, plainly stated.
Nine groups. Applied uniformly. These rules govern every band that enters Wacken Metal Battle, in every country we operate. Read them before you apply.
Bands must apply from their respective countries. Applications from outside your country of residence will not be considered.
02 · Record Label Restrictions
Your band must not have an existing record deal.
If your band is in discussions with a label but has not yet signed a contract, you must not sign a deal before or during the competition.
03 · Performance Requirements
Your band must be able to perform a 30-minute set consisting entirely of original songs (no covers).
The use of audio samples during live performances is permitted.
Music must be made by human band members.
All music submitted to and performed at Wacken Metal Battle must be fully composed, written, and performed by human band members. The use of AI in generating compositions, lyrics, vocals, instrumental parts, or recordings is strictly prohibited. Any band found using AI-generated content in any part of their music or performance will be immediately disqualified and may be banned from future participation.
04 · Eligibility Based on Past Participation
Bands that have previously won a Metal Battle competition (national or international finals) are not eligible to participate again.
Bands that participated in past editions but did not win any regional or national heats may reapply.
05 · Travel & Visa Requirements
All band members must have a valid passport to travel to Germany.
The passport must be valid for at least six months before the intended departure date for Germany.
The German visa must be obtained from the German Consulate in the country where your band is performing.
06 · Travel Costs
Bands must cover their own travel expenses for both national Metal Battle heats and international travel to Wacken Open Air. No travel costs will be covered by the event organizers.
07 · Front of House (FOH) & Lighting Director (LD) Restrictions
Wacken Open Air provides its own FOH (Front of House) engineer and LD (Lighting Director) for all bands.
Bringing your own FOH or LD is not allowed.
08 · Crew & Tour Logistics
If your band is on tour or has additional shows outside of Metal Battle, you are allowed to bring your own crew.
All crew details must be provided in advance to the Artist Production team.
The Artist Production team will coordinate directly with the band to organize travel logistics.
09 · Guest List Policy
Bands are allowed to bring guests. For further details, contact your local promoter.
Each band member and crew member is entitled to bring one guest. For example, a band of 5 members with 4 crew would be eligible for a total of 9 guests.
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